Atlus News, Tips, Tricks & Ideas

During a recent showcase, Atlus announced an October release date for Metaphor: ReFantazio, which was followed by an extensive deep dive detailing various elements that players can look forward to in the upcoming fantasy RPG.

Coming from the creative leads of Persona 3, 4, and 5, Metaphor: ReFantazio is obviously borrowing plenty of elements from the Persona series, but Atlus’ upcoming RPG is also going to put its own twist in that formula in a number of ways, appropriately enough for an entirely new IP. Take, for instance, its blend of real-time and turn-based combat mechanics, or how it will handle exploration throughout its map. Another area where the fantasy RPG will differ from Persona games is how it’ll handle bonds.

If there’s one area (or one of several, actually) where Persona games never fail to impress, it’s the music. Persona 3 Reload, which launched in February, was no different, with the remake receiving widespread praise for how it reimagined and expanded on the original Persona 3’s beloved soundtrack. Now, the remake’s full OST is available for purchase and streaming.

Atlus game fans are looking forward to Metaphor: ReFantazio, but the game is going to be missing a common mechanic of Persona games that players enjoy: building romances with NPCs. While the mechanic may be missed, it's another indication that Metaphor: ReFantazio and its Shin Megami Tensei and Persona predecessors do differ, despite their similarities.

Beloved Shin Megami Tensei character and monster designer Kazuma Kaneko announced he was parting with Atlus after 35 years as the developer's prominent «Demon Artist.» Kaneko has been with Atlus since 1988 and is renowned for his illustrations of mythical creatures originating from cultures all over the world. Recently, the Shin Megami Tensei artist announced he was leaving Atlus.

There are many reasons to look forward to Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, Atlus’s enhanced version of its acclaimed 2021 RPG. However, one of the biggest wildcards is perhaps Yoko Hiromine. The new character isn’t just essential to the story – she’s also controllable during combat.

Since it launched on Nintendo Switch in 2021, there have been rumors and anticipation for Shin Megami Tensei 5 on other platforms. It’s finally happening with Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, launching this Summer for Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PS5 and PC (along with Switch).

Hot off its showcase for Metaphor: ReFantazio, where it revealed cities, exploration, dungeons and whatnot, Atlus has announced Atlus Fes for June 8th and 9th in Bellesalle Akihabara, Tokyo, from 10 AM to 6 PM JST. It will feature playable demos forReFantazio and evenShin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance.

If you’ve held off on playing Shin Megami Tensei 5 since its launch for the Nintendo Switch in 2021, your patience is set to be rewarded. Not only is the upcoming Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance set to bring Atlus’ acclaimed RPG to non-Switch platforms, it will also bring with it a truckload of new content in the form of a new playable character, over 75 hours of additional gameplay, and much more. Also included in that deluge of additions is a host of new music- which, of course, is always a crucial part of Atlus-developed games.

The release date for Metaphor: ReFantazio has been confirmed during a 30-minute developer livestream.

As one of the Treehouse's resident Atlus sickos, I was incredibly happy to wake up to 25-minutes of Metaphor: ReFantazio's director Katsura Hashino talking us through some new footage. We get a look at a new rural town and the activities you can get up to, like bounty hunting. Travel on your magic mech is compared to "camping", which I wasn't expecting. And there's lots of combat on show, with transitions from real-time to turn-based battles outlined in a bit more detail. Oh and it's coming out in October, which gives me plenty of time to clear my JRPG backlog before this inevitably takes over my entire existence for the foreseeable.

Along with announcing an October release date for Metaphor: ReFantazio, Atlus has revealed a bunch of new details on the fantasy RPG’s combat and dungeons, cities and exploration, and much more. In addition to that, with pre-orders for the title going live today, the company has also revealed a physical Collector’s Edition that players will have the option of picking up.

Atlus broadcast a digital showcase for Metaphor: ReFantazio, its next big role-playing game, outlining its different elements. To kick things off, developer Studio Zero revealed that it will launch on October 11th worldwide. Check out the trailer below.

Atlus has shared extensive new details on Metaphor: ReFantazio with a deep dive showcase dedicated to the upcoming fantasy RPG. Along with announcing an October launch date for the title, the developer has also offered new information on what to expect from the game’s overarching structure, the locations you’ll be visiting across its fantasy setting, and more.

Metaphor: ReFantazio has revealed a release date of October 11 and showcased more gameplay. Metaphor: ReFantazio is the next release from the creators of Persona that will take players through a medieval world. Set in the United Kingdom of Euchronia, a nation of three countries inhabited by eight tribes, the story of Metaphor: ReFantazio begins with chaos ensuing after the king is killed.

Atlus has announced that a new wave of merchandise items themed after its hit RPG Persona 3 Reload will have a practical purpose, namely disaster preparation and first aid. The special Persona 3 Reload kits will be sold in Japan through merchandise company Movic and launch in mid-2024.

Persona 3 Aigis: The First Mission is coming to Steam and the Nintendo Switch. However, this long-forgotten Persona 3 spin-off will not be treated to an official English localization.

Atlus has announced an upcoming livestream dedicated to Metaphor: ReFantazio.

Metaphor ReFantazio is getting a big livestream event next week.

Atlus recently announced that Metaphor: ReFantazio, the next big role-playing game from Persona 5 director Katsura Hashino, would receive a showcase on April 22nd, 3 PM PT. In a separate tweet (translated from DeepL), Studio Zero revealed that it will run for 30 minutes, with the developer sharing “the appeal of this title with the world.”

Atlus has announced a special event taking place on April 22, where there will be a special livestream event focused on the upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio. Metaphor: ReFantazio is a brand-new RPG IP from Atlus' Studio Zero, with the game being developed by the same staff who had worked on the modern Persona entries. Both Metaphor and Persona share the same DNA in terms of mechanics, having similar social simulation and RPG dungeon crawling mechanics. The main difference between the two is that Metaphor is a high-fantasy setting as opposed to Persona's urban fantasy.

Atlus has had a strong start to 2024 with Persona 3 Reload and Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord, but the Japanese developer still has another heavyweight waiting in the wings. Fantasy RPG Metaphor: ReFantazio – led by the creative leads of Persona 3, 4, and 5 – has been previously billed by Atlus as its next big property, and the company will soon be revealing more details about it.

A new gameplay video of Persona 5: The Phantom X highlights a rhythm-based mini-game that fans can play. Persona 5: The Phantom X is an upcoming mobile and PC spin-off of the Persona franchise. Unlike the game it is based off of, The Phantom X is similar to gacha games like Genshin Impact and Tower of Fantasy, with this game being developed by Black Wings Studio and published by Perfect World Games. Despite being a very different game from the original Persona 5, it carries a lot of the same DNA in terms of story, characters, and gameplay elements.

Persona 1 and 2 are getting remakes.

Persona 1 and Persona 2 are due to receive remakes, it’s claimed.

Persona rumors suggest that remakes for the first and second games are in development. This comes after the release of Persona 3 Reload, which was received positively by the Persona community.

A remake of the critically acclaimed JRPG Persona 4 is said to be in development, according to a reliable Sega/Atlus insider. If true, this could be exciting news for fans of both the original Persona 4 and the recently released remake Persona 3 Reload. Unfortunately, though, there's a catch to this news.

Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, Atlus’s enhanced version of the acclaimed 2001 role-playing game, is packing in several new features. From new demons and a brand new story path, “Canon of Vengeance”, there’s a lot for fans to look forward to. Perhaps the most intriguing feature, however, is Demon Haunts.

Atlus has released a new for the upcoming definitive take on the latest mainline entry of the iconic RPG series. The game is set to release on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, and PC on June 14, 2024.

Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, an enhanced version of the 2021 game Shin Megami Tensei 5, is set to be released on June 14. Originally a Nintendo Switch exclusive, Vengeance will be available on PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S. Today, a new trailer titled ‘The Sacrifice’ showing some new story elements, locations, and demons hit the web.

We have an interesting new rumor about Persona 6, which is more loaded than it looks at first glance.

Atlus has released many high-profile titles over the past several months, from Persona 5 Tactica to Persona 3 Reload and Unicorn Overlord. It also has Studio Zero’s Metaphor ReFantazio out later this year, but in 2025, rumors indicate that the next mainline entry in the Persona series could finally launch.

Persona 6 will have a green color theme, a well-known insider has claimed. The same source also shared some new insights into the Persona 6 development timeline.

Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance has offered fans a glimpse at some of its new story tidbits, demons, and locations, among other novelties. The content was showcased as part of the newly debuted SMT5: Vengeance trailer.

Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord launched in a busy month, with Rise of the Ronin and Dragon’s Dogma 2 arriving nearly two weeks later. Nevertheless, it’s seen an impressive reception, selling out physical copies and topping Japanese sales charts for two weeks. Atlus has also released an accolades trailer, confirming over 500,000 units sold. Check it out below.

Persona 5 Royal ending spoilers ahead.

A remake of 2003 platformer Sonic Heroes is in development for the Switch‘s successor, according to a new report.

The rumored Switch 2 port of Persona 3 Reload will come bundled with the entirety of the game's Expansion Pass content, a well-known leaker has claimed. This would give it a major advantage over the existing versions of Persona 3 Reload, which are priced at $70 and sell the Expansion Pass as a $35 add-on.

Unicorn Overlord enjoyed an impressive debut in Japan last week with over 74,000 units sold, and as per the latest weekly charts for software and hardware sales in Japan released by Famitsu, the game has held on to that top spot. The fantasy tactics RPG’s Switch version still sits in first place, having sold an additional 16,000 units, though its PS5 and PS4 versions have dropped out of the top 10.

Atlus has moved the up, allowing fans to play the definitive version of the 2021 RPG even sooner.

Players looking forward to seeing Shin Megami Tensei 5 on PC and other platforms will have their wish granted a little bit sooner. Atlus has opted to move up the release date of Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance, the updated version of the original 2021 Shin Megami Tensei 5.

Atlus has announced that Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance will be released a week early. Instead of June 21st, it’s launching on June 14th for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One, PS4, PC and Nintendo Switch. A reason for moving the launch up wasn’t specified, though it could be to avoid competing with Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, which launches on the same day.

According to a recent leak, Persona 6 will feature dual protagonists and a DLC that may allow players to take flight. These new Persona 6 tidbits surfaced on a forum courtesy of a well-known Atlus leaker, who has a track record of sharing insider information about the upcoming mainline entry in the Persona series.

Another prominent leaker has claimed that Persona 6 will be launching on the Nintendo Switch successor console. A number of rumors have been flying around Persona 6, despite how it hasn't been officially announced by Atlus yet. Many leakers and insiders have given fans a lot of different pieces of information over the years, which makes things difficult to pinpoint what is accurate or not. The latest rumors regarding Persona 6 revolve around the platforms it will supposedly launch on.

While Atlus recently launched Persona 3 Reload and still has Metaphor: ReFantazio coming this year (not to mention Episode Aigis), rumors have circulated for a while now about Persona 6. The company has yet to officially reveal it, but leaker Midori reported that it would launch in 2025 and have a semi-open world with “more fluid” Social Links.

Persona 6 is being planned for Xbox platforms, according to a noted industry insider.

Persona 6 will be available on Xbox consoles, a well-known leaker has said. The claim was offered along with some speculation about the chances of Persona 6 also making its way to Xbox Game Pass, much like the other recent entries in the series.

Metaphor: ReFantazio has been rated Teen by the ESRB, unlike the vast majority of Atlus's contemporary games. Metaphor: ReFantazio will hence have the same classification as some of the company's most age-accessible titles, such as Persona 5 Tactica.

Atlus has announced that Persona 3 Reload's Episode Aigis: The Answer DLC will require ownership of the Expansion Pass. Persona 3 Reload's Expansion Pass has quickly generated negative feedback from fans after its March 11 release.

Atlus has partnered with Tose Software for one of its upcoming games, a prominent leaker has claimed. The two Japanese companies collaborated in the '90s and have a pair of joint PS1-era projects to their names, both of which were published by Atlus.

Promptly after Unicorn Overlord’s launch, the game’s physical copies had sold out in Japan, prompting publisher Atlus to apologize for the supply shortages. Unsurprisingly, then, as per Famitsu’s latest weekly charts for hardware and physical software sales in Japan, Unicorn Overlord was the best-selling game in the region last week.

Atlus has apologised to players in Japan after physical copies of its tactical RPG Unicorn Overload sold out.

The Persona 3 Reload Expansion Pass is presently being review-bombed by Steam users. The fan backlash started as soon as the first third of the DLC bundle was released, thus allowing Persona 3 Reload owners to buy and subsequently review the entire package.

Persona 3 Reload players can currently grab the game’s complete Expansion Pass on Xbox Game Pass Ultimate. Expansions and DLC packages are not normally offered on Xbox Game Pass as part of the subscription, so this is a unique opportunity for Persona fans.

The expansion pass for Persona 3: Reload is now available on Xbox Game Pass.

Unicorn Overlord launched worldwide last week, and especially in Japan, the Vanillaware-developed fantasy tactics RPG seems to have got off to a solid start- better than publisher Atlus might have anticipated, in fact.

The Episode Aigis expansion for Persona 3 Reload has been developed in response to fan feedback, though there's no chance of a female protagonist in the future.

Last week was another busy one with more major new releases hitting store shelves, a couple of which have found their way into the latest weekly charts for physical software sales in the UK. As shared by GamesIndustry’s Christopher Dring on Twitter, WWE 2K24 had a strong debut, taking the top spot in its first week on sale, with physical launch sales in the UK being 26 percent higher than what its predecessor managed in the region upon its release last year.

A senior Atlus official has indirectly dismissed the recent speculation that Episode Aigis: The Answer was cut from the day-one version of Persona 3 Reload. The DLC was announced at the newest Xbox Partner Preview event in early March, with Atlus revealing it as the third and final part of the Persona 3 Reload expansion pass.

Atlus producer Kazushi Wada has addressed why there's no option to play as a female protagonist in Persona 3 Reload, stating it was too expensive to implement. Persona 3 Reload launched this past February 2, which was a full remake of the original 2006 JRPG. Reload implements a number of mechanics and features from past re-releases of Persona 3, such as new scenes and mechanics that weren't in the original game. One feature that many fans wanted to make a return was the inclusion of the female protagonist.

Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord, a tactical strategy RPG set in a medieval fantasy world, is out now for Xbox Series X/S, PS4, PS5 and Nintendo Switch. Developed by the team behind 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, it focuses on crown prince Alain as he ventures to Fevirth to free it from the clutches of the traitorous general Valmore. Check out the launch trailer below.

Vanillaware’s Unicorn Overlord is out today, and as a tactical role-playing game from the team behind 13 Sentinels: Aegis Rim, it offers intriguing combat options, bonding between its dozens of characters and a gorgeous art style. It also has the developer’s most amount of content to date.

That Unicorn Overlord is developer Vanillaware’s most ambitious title to date is hardly in doubt. The tactical fantasy RPG is packed full of content, boasting over 60 playable characters, over a hundred hours of gameplay, and more, and it seems like the studio ran into some notable financial issues trying to get the game made.

The entire expansion pass for Persona 3 Reload is already done and has essentially been cut from the game pre-release, a prominent Sega leaker has claimed. The same source shared some other surprising information about the project that doesn't match the fandom's established perception of the Persona 3 Reload development timeline.

Atlus has announced an Expansion Pass for Persona 3 Reload, which is going to bring Persona 3 FES’ The Answer as part of its third wave in the form of the DLC titled Episode Aigis -The Answer-. And similar to the base game itself, it turns out is DLC is also going to be available at no additional cost to Game Pass subscribers- well, some of them, at least.

Persona 3 FES’ exclusive and meaty story epilogue The Answer is indeed being remade for Persona 3 Reload, and along with the expansion’s recent announcement, producer Kazuhisha Wada has also provided details on what to expect in terms of the changes it will make in a new developer message uploaded by Atlus.

Persona fans have been asking whether Persona 3 Reload would also include Persona 3 FES’ exclusive epilogue, The Answer, since before the remake was even officially announced, and since it launched, those questions haven’t really gone away. Recently, Atlus confirmed that the FES content will indeed be coming to the game in the form of Episode Aigis -The Answer-, the third wave in Persona 3 Reload’s expansion pass, and in a recent developer message uploaded by Atlus, producer Kazuhisha Wada spoke about its importance to the overarching story of Persona 3.

Persona 3 Reload has announced an expansion pass with three waves of DLC that culminate in a content-rich epilogue titled Episode Aigis — The Answer. The three waves of DLC for Persona 3 Reload will be spread over the next six months, offering fans returning music tracks from previous games such as Persona 5 Royal and Persona 4 Golden, new costumes, and, of course, additional story content.

It turns out that Persona 3 Reload will get previously missing expansion The Answer after all, as Atlus announce that the epilogue chapter included in past re-release Persona 3 FES will be added as DLC this September.

Atlus has released a new, revealing all of the additional content coming to the acclaimed remake.

Datamining leaks and teases within the game itself had indicated that Persona 3 Reload would be getting a major expansion that would bring Persona 3 FES’ sizeable story episode, The Answer, to the game, and that has now been officially confirmed.

Persona 3 Reload is receiving an expansion pass, adding the much-requested expansion The Answer.

Atlus' Persona series has sold over 22.6 million copies

The PC version of Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance will incorporate Denuvo Anti-Tamper. The game's use of the controversial digital rights management (DRM) solution has been confirmed by one of the recently surfaced Shin Megami Tensei 5: Vengeance pre-order listings.

Updated digital store and wishlist pages for Atlus' upcoming Metaphor: ReFantazio have described how its dungeon crawling and social simulation gameplay loop differs from the Persona franchise. Metaphor: ReFantazio was first announced in June 2023 as a brand-new IP from Atlus, tackling a pure high fantasy setting instead of the urban fantasy genre like in the Shin Megami Tensei or Persona franchises. Despite the setting change, Metaphor Re:Fantazio has been shown to share DNA with Atlus' past works.

Persona 6 will feature a semi-open world and «more fluid» social link structure, a prominent leaker has said. There have been a fair amount of rumors surrounding Persona 6 over the past few years. Despite there being little concrete evidence of the game existing, that hasn't stopped fans from speculating or hearing about something potentially related to this game. One of the latest rumors is focused on how Persona 6 will overhaul its longtime social link mechanic and the structure of its overworld.

Atlus is currently riding the highs of the critical and commercial success that Persona 3 Reload has enjoyed in the wake of its launch a month ago, but given how long it’s been since the series’ last new mainline instalment released, it’s no surprise that a sizeable section of its fanbase is anxiously waiting for details on Persona 6. When Atlus will begin speaking about the game in an official capacity is anyone’s best guess at this point, but a leaker has spilled the beans on some potential details on the RPG.

Midori has shared a new rumor, and reinforced an older one, for Metaphor ReFantazio.

Today is the last day to play Soul Hackers 2 via Xbox Game Pass. The popular Atlus RPG has also been treated to a hefty 70% discount to commemorate its departure from the service, with that limited-time offer even extending to those without an Xbox Game Pass membership.

While Atlus has seen its fastest-selling game ever in Persona 3 Reload, it has another heavy-hitter this year with Studio Zero’s Metaphor: ReFantazio. It’s available to wishlist in certain regions on the PlayStation Store and Xbox Store (as noted by Gematsu on Twitter), and there are new details on what players can expect.